Obesity is a body condition in which accumulation of excessive body fat causes adverse effects on health, thereby potentially leading to shortened lifespan and various health problems. According to the definition of obesity by World Health Organization, a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 is defined as overweight, and a BMI greater than 30 is defined as obese. Some Eastern Asian countries adopt stricter criteria. For example, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan announced in April 2002 that a Taiwanese adult with BMI≥27 is considered obese, and 24≤BMI<27 is considered overweight.
The statistics show that the worldwide overweight and obese population has exceeded 2.7 billion people in 2014. Among them, approximately 13% are obese, and these obese people are at significantly higher risk of related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, diabetes, and cancer.
Current synthetic drugs for reducing body fat or body weight still present cardiovascular risks and safety concerns to various extents. On the other hand, plant extract ingredients for reducing body fat or body weight often face the issue of low bioavailability and thus low efficacy. Therefore, the market is in dire need of a drug for reducing body fat and body weight with better safety profile, less side effects, no cardiovascular risks, and high bioavailability, that can effectively reduce body weight and body fat and lower the risks to cardiovascular disease.